U.S. patent number 5,151,237 [Application Number 07/535,609] was granted by the patent office on 1992-09-29 for method of injection molding a flat deformable laminate.
Invention is credited to Siebolt Hettinga.
United States Patent |
5,151,237 |
Hettinga |
September 29, 1992 |
Method of injection molding a flat deformable laminate
Abstract
A method for the injection molding of a laminate article having
a deformable material sandwiched between a textile layer and a
thermoplastic substrate and bonded into a unitary assembly by the
thermoplastic. The laminate is molded into a sheet form for
deformation to a preselected shape in a die-forming operation.
Inventors: |
Hettinga; Siebolt (Des Moines,
IA) |
Family
ID: |
24134982 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/535,609 |
Filed: |
June 11, 1990 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
264/257; 264/273;
264/274; 264/324; 264/325; 264/328.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C
45/0055 (20130101); B29C 45/14811 (20130101); B29K
2713/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B29C
45/00 (20060101); B29C 45/14 (20060101); B29C
045/14 (); B29C () |
Field of
Search: |
;264/319,324,325,255,257,273,274,328.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Woo; Jay H.
Assistant Examiner: Durkin, II; Jeremiah F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lowell; Rudolph L. Herink; Kent A.
Laurenzo; Brian J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A process of injection molding for forming a flat deformable
laminate having a thermoplastic substrate, as the bonding agent,
said process comprising:
(a) providing a thermoplastic resin and a deformable material
wherein the memory recovery of the deformable material is less than
the memory recovery of the thermoplastic resin;
(b) providing a soft porous material;
(c) lining a flat surface area of an injection mold cavity with
said soft material;
(d) placing the deformable material against said soft material;
(e) closing said mold cavity with a second flat surface spaced from
said deformable material to form a plastic receiving chamber
means;
(f) injecting the thermoplastic resin within said chamber means and
about said deformable material and into said soft material;
(g) allowing said thermoplastic resin to at least partially cool
and harden; and then
(h) removing the resultant flat deformable laminate from the
cavity, said flat deformable laminate capable of further
deformation into a preselected shape after removal from said
cavity.
2. The process, according to claim 1, including the further step of
forming the resultant laminate into said preselected shape, said
preselected shape retained by the bonded securement of the
substrate and porous material to the deformable material.
3. The process, according to claim 1, wherein the soft porous
material is comprised of a fabric material having a pile surface,
the pile surface of which is positioned against the first flat
surface of the mold cavity.
4. The process, according to claim 1, wherein the deformable
material is selected from the group consisting of a screen
material, a wire rod material or a plastic material.
5. The process, according to claim 3, including the step of placing
the resultant laminate in a forming die; and forming an article of
a preselected shape conforming to the shape of a preselected
surface for assembly thereon with the substrate surface adjacent
the preselected surface.
Description
This invention relates to the method of injection molding a flat
deformable laminate having a deformable material sandwiched between
a thermoplastic substrate and a sheet textile material. More
particularly, this invention relates to a flat deformable molded
laminate that is readily formed into an article of predetermined
shape conforming to the shape of a preselected surface for assembly
thereon with the textile material exposed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is conventional to produce a laminate article comprised of a
stiff substrate material such as plastic, compressed paper or wood,
to which is adhesively secured a textile material. However, in some
instances, a fibrous or asphalt base material has been used in
glove compartments and in vehicle trunks. This type material is
then cut and fitted to conform to the surface which it is to cover,
such as the floor and sidewall surfaces of the vehicle trunk or the
interior side surfaces of the passenger body of the automotive
vehicle. Where the textile material is adhesively secured to a
stiff substrate material, the textile material tends to separate
from the substrate, particularly along the edges thereof.
Additionally, appreciable expense is encountered in the on-the-job
fitting of this type laminate to conform with the surface being
covered. Further, the laminate is not adaptable to cover the floor
surface within the vehicle, which generally includes irregularities
to accommodate the drive system of the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The laminate of the invention is injection molded in a flat
deformable sheet form which is readily deformed to a predetermined
shape conforming to the shape of the surface on which the laminate
article is to be mounted. In the molding of the laminate, a
thermoplastic resin is initially injected into a chamber means and
then about the deformable material into a soft porous material to
form a unitary laminate bonded together by the thermoplastic
material. The laminate, prior to being formed, may be heated to
facilitate the deforming of the thermoplastic substrate, with the
formed shape then being retained by the bonded securement of the
substrate and porous material to the deformable material. The
resultant laminate article is thus readily secured to an associated
mounting surface without requiring further on-the-job fitting. With
the porous material bonded to the substrate and deformable
material, stripping thereof from the laminate article is
substantially eliminated. The completed resultant laminate articles
may comprise the wall structure of a glove compartment, a vehicle
trunk, or a unitary rigid floor covering for the front and rear
floor surfaces of a vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an injection mold for injection
molding, in accordance with this invention, shown in open position
and illustrating the placement in the mold cavity thereof of the
textile and deformable materials of the resultant laminate
article,
FIG. 2 is illustrated similarly to FIG. 1 and shows the mold in the
cavity closing position for forming the completed laminate
structure,
FIG. 3 is an enlarged showing of the laminate portions illustrated
in FIG. 1,
FIG. 4 is an enlarged showing of the completed laminate shown in
FIG. 2, and
FIG. 5 illustrates in section the laminate structure of FIG. 4
after being deformed into a specific shape.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a mold
unit 10 of a conventional mold injecting machine (not shown),
having a stationary section 11 and a movable section 12 secured to
a baseplate 13 that is movably supported on slide or guide rods 14
in response to the operation of a usual hydraulic ram (not
shown).
The movable mold section 12 is preferably of a generally
rectangular pan shape having an upstanding perimetral rim 16
forming a mold cavity 17. The stationary mold section 11 is of a
generally flat plate form secured to a mounting number 18 and of a
size to engage the perimetral rim 16 of the mold section 12 to
close the mold cavity 17 when the mold unit 10 is in the closed
position therefor. The stationary mold 11 and its mounting member
18 are formed with a gate 19 for operative association with an
injection nozzle unit 21 of the mold injection machine.
To injection mold the flat laminate article of this invention,
indicated at 22 in FIG. 4, a soft porous material 23 (FIG. 1),
illustrated as a rug material of a shape and size to fit within the
cavity rim 16, is positioned with the pile side 24 thereof against
the flat bottom surface 26 of the cavity 17. As used herein, the
term soft porous material may include a foam rubber, pile, rubber,
felt, fabric, or rug material and the like. A deformable sheet
material 28, illustrated as a window screen material, is then
positioned against and over the mat surface 27 of the ruglike
material 23. The deformable material may be a hardware screen
material, perforated sheet metal, expanded material, a plastic
material, or a wire rod material.
With the rug material 23 and screen material 28 in a back-to-back
relation within the mold cavity 17, the mold unit is closed as
shown in FIG. 2. With the fixed mold section 11 in engagement with
the rim 16 of the movable mold section 12, there is formed a
chamber 29, defined by the rim 16, the mold section 11 and the
screen material 28, to receive the thermoplastic material injected
from the nozzle 21 and into the gate opening 19 which is in fluid
registration with the chamber 29. The injected plastic, from the
chamber 29, passes through the screen material 28 and into the mat
surface 27 of the rug material 23. On cooling, the thermoplastic in
the chamber means 29 forms a substrate layer 31 for the laminate 22
and by virtue of its passage about the mesh material 28 and into
the mat 27 of the rug material 23 bonds the laminate into a
reinforced unitary structure. The thermoplastic material may be a
polypropylene resin or a polyvinyl chloride injected at a
plasticizing temperature of not less than about 450.degree. F. On
removal from the mold unit 10, the laminate 22 on being cooled may
be readily stored or transported in conveniently-sized packages for
later use. To facilitate forming the laminate into a predetermined
shape, such as illustrated for the laminate in FIG. 5, it may be
initially heated to a temperature of about 250.degree. to
facilitate the deformation of the substrate layer 31. It is to be
understood that the laminate 22 may be hand or machine deformed
into the predetermined shape therefor immediately after being mold
injected by merely permitting it to cool to a temperature of about
250.degree. F. prior to the forming operation.
For the laminate 22 to retain the preselected deformed shape, the
deformable material should have a memory recovery or capability of
regaining its original shape which is less than the memory recovery
of the plastic substrate, so as not to warp or otherwise overcome
the preselected shape of the plastic substrate and, in turn, the
preselected deformed shape of the laminate 22, so as to further
resist any recovery movement of the substrate to the initial flat
condition thereof.
It is to be understood that modifications may be made in the
practice of this invention within the scope of the appended
claims.
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